Besides cognitive factors, non-cognitive factors such as personality traits and emotional regulation may have important contribution to student academic achievement. Three-year longitudinal study on prospective predictors of the academic achievement was conducted on representative sample of 297 female and 194 male students of different faculties from the University in Rijeka, Croatia. Test of intellectual ability, big five personality questionnaire, expectancy of graduating and anxiety sensitivity questionnaire were group-administrated at the beginning of the study. At the end of the third year of study students grades were obtained from the student service administrators. Results show that female students have better average grades during three years of college than male students. Among analyzed predictors of academic achievement, female students show higher openness, neuroticism, expectancy of graduating and anxiety sensitivity. Separate hierarchical regression analyses were performed to assess predictive value of intellectual abilities, big five personality traits, expectancy of graduating and anxiety sensitivity for male and female students. In a sample of female students, intellectual abilities, expectancy of graduating and anxiety sensitivity were positive predictors, and extraversion and agreeableness were negative predictors which explained 16 % of academic achievement variance. In a sample of male students only personality traits were significant predictors of achievement. Openness, consciousness and low extraversion were significant predictors which explained 25 % of academic achievement.